When we are all locked up in our houses, the design and decoration businesses began to flourish: for many, it was time to tune up the space where they lived, because more than ever it had to function as a containing shelter against the dangers of the world. Today, more than two years into the pandemic, the trends that are trending for homes follow the dynamic rhythm that is coming back to life. But something has become clear, almost as an existential lesson: the house should be a place of calm and restand so must be transmitted by their environments and choices.
comfort and minimalism
Charly García would approve: today we go from the bed to the living room, because in both spaces we manage to find the same comfort. Or at least we demand it. “Clients ask me for comfort spaces. They want a chair that embraces them, that contains them, that is as comfortable as being in their bed. That is why the design that we created and is coming, works a lot with this functionality: big curves, rounded corners, furniture with back and head support”, he describes. Marcelo Mazza, interior designer and designer, member of the Arenales District board of directors and with two own stores. In fact, one of them is Calma, where it works towards offering “peace and well-being in each space and complement”.
And it is that the day after the coronavirus also implied an enormous cost in mental and spiritual health. Depression, anxiety and other disorders are commonplace in a society that must relearn how to socialize and function in context. In the midst of this relevant change in how we see and recognize ourselves, design is also inscribed, whose ultimate goal is always to meet human needs. “That’s why we decided to look for products that contribute to improving the quality of life,” Mazza details.
In addition to the enveloping and extra comfortable armchairs, the proposal of this line stands out for the use of noble textures and materials, seeking to promote a feeling of warmth and well-being within the framework of a minimalist and contemporary experience. Why minimalist? Because the world is already complex, better that what is at home provides visual simplicity (“although always in conjunction with the art of the new”, points out the specialist). Thus, the colors of the furniture are neutral and light, from the range of whites to tans, passing through light gray, while flashes of brightness are applied with objects and lighting: the gold lamps are a great success . The most strident and dark tones, on the other hand, are being relegated to elements such as works of art. The premise is to conjure tranquility and peace.
rediscover values
Although what you end up seeing are palpable elements, everything that the design represents was conceived from values. Because this discipline translates the needs, the existing ones, and, in the case of the trend, also those that will come. Therefore, another interesting point in this season was the intention to transmit hope in an unfavorable world context. According to Mazza, this is also what their morphology and materials refer to. “Also flexibility, away from hard, strict points, with cuts and limits. The shapes had to move us to infinity, and we did so”, he illustrates.
After two years of protocols and rules, another need is to feel that our house is free territory. This can be visualized in pieces such as circular rugs, lamps that simulate rounded cocoons or individual curved armchairs. “And the clothing must include both high-performance materials and perceived quality,” says the professional. Because yes, we also began to take care of the category of everything that enters our house.
In the designer’s opinion, what he chose after these years is a natural and obvious search, but precisely for this reason it can sometimes be difficult to interpret and find. “We wanted to make products that our audience would see and say ‘this is what you were looking for and you didn’t know it,’” he says.
autochthonous imprint
By these times, local design has also achieved great international recognition. Its greatest focus to differentiate itself is on the most indigenous features, those textures and materials that transmit the variety and richness of Argentina. “We have many colleagues who are winning awards in Europe and the United States. They do it taking our roots around the world: they work with cotton, raffia, wood, and above all with very good craftsmen”, Mazza illustrates. That is also the ultimate point of reference for his new collection: it embraces the natural and autochthonous, working in collaboration with artisan hands to create textiles, tables, chairs and objects that combine functionality and comfort with tradition and craft.
They were two intense and mobilizing years. Why not start applying these specialist recipes for the return to calm? The house is always the best work canvas.
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